While much of the world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on
the 25th of December, can the actual day of Jesus' birth be determined
from scripture? This question will be explored in some detail, and will
yield a result that is quite intriguing. The first passage we will
consider begins with the father of John the Baptist, Zacharias:

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a
certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was
of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.

Luke 1:8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the
priest's office before God in the order of his course, ...

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his
ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, ...

The clue given to us here is that Zacharias was of the "course" of
Abia.

The 24 Courses of the
Temple Priesthood.

7. But David, being desirous of ordaining his son
king of all the people, called together their rulers to Jerusalem, with
the priests and the Levites; and having first numbered the Levites, he
found them to be thirty-eight thousand, from thirty years old to fifty;
out of which he appointed twenty-three thousand to take care of the
building of the temple, and out of the same, six thousand to be judges
of the people and scribes, four thousand for porters to the house of
God, and as many for singers, to sing to the instruments which David
had prepared, as we have said already. He divided them also into
courses: and when he had separated the priests from them, he found of
these priests twenty-four courses, sixteen of the house of Eleazar, and
eight of that of Ithamar; and he ordained that one course should
minister to God eight days, from sabbath to sabbath. And thus were the
courses distributed by lot, in the presence of David, and Zadok and
Abiathar the high priests, and of all the rulers; and that course which
came up first was written down as the first, and accordingly the
second, and so on to the twenty-fourth; and this partition hath
remained to this day. — Josephus, Antiquities
of the Jews, Book 7, Chapter 14, Paragraph 7.

King David on God's instructions (1 Chr
28:11-13) had divided the sons of of Eleazar and Ithamar, sons of Aaron, into 24 groups (1
Chr 24:1-4), to setup a schedule by which the Temple of the Lord
could be staffed with priests (Kohanim) all year round in an orderly manner.
After the 24 groups of priests were established, lots were drawn to
determine the sequence in which each group would serve in the Temple. (1
Chr 24: 7-19). That sequence is as follows:

The 24 courses of priests

1 Chr 24:7

1. Jehoiarib

2. Jedaiah

1 Chr 24:8

3. Harim

4. Seorim

1 Chr 24:9

5. Malchijah

6. Mijamin

1 Chr 24:10

7. Hakkoz

8. Abijah

1 Chr 24:11

9. Jeshuah

10. Shecaniah

1 Chr 24:12

11. Eliashib

12. Jakim

1 Chr 24:13

13. Huppah

14. Jeshebeab

1 Chr 24:14

15. Bilgah

16. Immer

1 Chr 24:15

17. Hezir

18. Aphses

1 Chr 24:16

19. Pethahiah

20. Jehezekel

1 Chr 24:17

21. Jachim

22. Gamul

1 Chr 24:18

23. Delaiah

24. Maaziah

1 Chr 24:19 These were the orderings of them in their service to
come into the house of the LORD, according to their manner, under Aaron
their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

Now each one of the 24 "courses" of priests would begin and end
their service in the Temple on the Sabbath, a tour of duty being for
one week (2 Chr 23:8, 1 Chr 9:25). On three occasions
during the year, all the men of Israel were required to travel to
Jerusalem for festivals of the Lord, so on those occasions all the
priests would be needed in the Temple to accommodate the many sacrifices offered
by the crowds. Those
three festivals were Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deut
16:16).

The Yearly Cycle of
Service in the Temple.

The Jewish calendar begins in the spring, during the
month of Nisan (Est 3:7), so the first "course" of priests, would be that of the
family of Jehoiarib, who would serve for the first week of Nisan, Sabbath to Sabbath.
The second week would then be the responsibility of the family of
Jedaiah. The third week would be the feast of Unleavened Bread, and all
priests would be present for service. Then the schedule would resume
with the third course of priests, the family of Harim. By this plan,
when the 24th course was completed, the general cycle of courses would
repeat. This schedule would cover 51 weeks or 357 days, enough for the
lunar Jewish calendar (about 354 days). So, in a period of a year, each
group of priests would serve in the Temple twice on their scheduled
course, in addition to the 3 major festivals, for a total of about five
weeks of duty.

The Conception of John
the Baptist.

Now back to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his
ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, ...

Beginning with the first month, Nisan, in the spring
(March-April), the schedule of the priest's courses would result with
Zacharias serving during the 10th week of the year. This is because he
was a member of the course of Abia (Abijah), the 8th course, and both
the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15-21 Nisan) and
Pentecost (6 Sivan) would have occurred before his scheduled duty. This
places Zacharias' administration in the Temple as beginning on the
second Sabbath of the third month, Sivan (May-June).

1st Month

2nd Month

3rd Month

Abib - Nisan
(March - April)

Zif - Iyyar
(April - May)

Sivan
(May - June)

First
Week

Jehoiarib (1)

Seorim (4)

All Priests(Pentecost)

Second
Week

Jedaiah (2)

Malchijah (5)

Abijah (8)

Third
Week

All Priests(Feast of Unleavened Bread)

Mijamin (6)

Jeshuah (9)

Fourth
Week

Harim (3)

Hakkoz (7)

Shecaniah (10)

Having completed his Temple service on the third Sabbath of Sivan,
Zacharias returned home and soon conceived his son John. So John the
Baptist was probably conceived shortly after the third Sabbath of the
month of Sivan.

The Conception of Jesus
Christ.

Now the reason that the information about John is
important, is because according to Luke, Jesus was conceived by the
Holy Spirit in the sixth month of Elisabeth's pregnancy:

Luke 1:24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and
hid herself five months, saying,
Luke 1:25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he
looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God
unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

Note that verse 26 above refers to the sixth month of Elisabeth's
pregnancy, not Elul, the sixth month of the Hebrew calendar, and this
is made plain by the context of verse 24 and again in verse 36:

Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also
conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her,
who was called barren.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for the last 3 months of her pregnancy,
until the time that John was born.

Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and
returned to her own house.
Luke 1:57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered;
and she brought forth a son.

Now working from the information about John's conception late in
the third month, Sivan, and advancing six months, we arrive late in the
9th month of Kislev (Nov-Dec) for the time frame for the conception
of Jesus. It is notable here that the first day of the Jewish festival
of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated on the 25th day of
Kislev, and Jesus is called the light of the world (John 8:12,
9:5, 12:46). This does not appear to be a mere coincidence. In
the book of John, Hanukkah is called the feast of dedication (John
10:22). Hanukkah is an eight day festival of
rejoicing, celebrating deliverance from enemies by the relighting of
the menorah in the rededicated Temple, which according to the story,
stayed lit miraculously for eight days on only one day's supply of oil.

The Birth of John the
Baptist.

Based on a conception shortly after the third Sabbath
of the month of Sivan, projecting forward an average term of about 10
lunar months (40 weeks), we arrive in the month of Nisan. It would
appear that John the Baptist may have been born in the middle of the
month, which would coincide with Passover and the Feast of Unleavened
Bread. It is interesting to note, that even today, it is customary for
the Jews to set out a special goblet of wine during the Passover Seder
meal, in anticipation of the arrival of Elijah that week, which is
based on the prophecy of Malachi:

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Jesus identified John as the "Elijah" that the Jews had expected:

Mat 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the
scribes that Elias must first come?
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall
first come, and restore all things.
Mat 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew
him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall
also the Son of man suffer of them.
Mat 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John
the Baptist.

The angel that appeared to Zacharias in the temple also indicated
that John would be the expected "Elias":

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of
Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared
for the Lord.

So then, the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of
the 1st month, Nisan, and this is a likely date for the birth of John
the Baptist, the expected "Elijah".

The Birth of Jesus Christ.

Since Jesus was conceived six months after John the
Baptist, and we have established a likely date for John's birth, we
need only move six months farther down the Jewish calendar to arrive at
a likely date for the birth of Jesus. From the 15th day of the 1st
month, Nisan, we go to the 15th day of the 7th month, Tishri. And what
do we find on that date? It is the festival of Tabernacles! The 15th
day of Tishri begins the third and last festival of the year to which
all the men of Israel were to gather in Jerusalem for Temple services.
(Lev 23:34)

Immanuel.

Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his
name Immanuel.

Immanuel means "God with us". The Son of God had come to dwell
with, or tabernacle on earth with His people.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and
we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)
full of grace and truth.

The Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), occurs five days after the Day
of Atonement, and is a festival of rejoicing and celebration of
deliverance from slavery in Egypt (Leviticus 23:42-43).

Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped
him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was
no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luke 2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory
of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord.

Why was there no room at the inn? Bethlehem is only about 5 miles
from Jerusalem, and all the men of Israel had come to attend the
festival of Tabernacles as required by the law of Moses. Every room for
miles around Jerusalem would have been already taken by pilgrims, so
all that Mary and Joseph could find for shelter was a stable. During
Tabernacles, everyone was to live in temporary booths (Sukkot), as a
memorial to Israel's pilgrimage out of Egypt - Lev. 23:42-43. The birth
of the Savior, in what amounted to a temporary dwelling rather than a
house, signaled the coming deliverance of God's people from slavery to
sin, and their departing for the promised land, which is symbolized by
Tabernacles.

Also of note is the fact that the Feast of Tabernacles is an eight
day feast (Lev 23:36, 39). Why eight days? It may be because an infant
was dedicated to God by performing circumcision on the eighth
day after birth:

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were accomplished for the
circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so
named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

So the infant Jesus would have been circumcised on the eighth and
last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, a Sabbath day. The Jews today
consider this a separate festival from Tabernacles, and they call it
Shemini Atzeret.

The Baptism of Jesus - The Time is
Fulfilled

There is another indication in scripture as to when Jesus was
born.

Mark 1:9 And it came to pass
in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was
baptized of John in Jordan.
Mark 1:10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens
opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
Mark 1:11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying,
Thou art my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Mark 1:12 And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.
Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of
Satan; and was with the wild beasts
Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Jesus said
The time is fulfilled just after His baptism, upon emerging from 40 days in the
wilderness. He then began His preaching ministry, Luke tells us at about the
age of 30.

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a
dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said,
Thou art my
beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luke 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, ...

The book of Daniel gives us
the "time" or prophecy Jesus was speaking about:

DANIEL'S 70 WEEKS

Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going
forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (457 B.C.) unto the
Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks (69 weeks
/ 483 years, 27 A.D.):
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks (69 weeks) shall Messiah be cut off,
but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and
in the midst of the week (31 A.D.) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation
to cease, (be crucified) ...

It is evident that
by
understanding this prophecy, and knowing the date of the decree when Daniel's 70
weeks
began (Ezra 7, 457 B.C.), the wise men knew exactly when to look for the Christ child.

The
70th week of Daniel, a period of 7 literal
years, began with "Messiah the Prince". Messiah means anointed, and
Jesus was publically anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism, declaring him
to be the Messiah, at the end of 69 weeks / 483 prophetic years, which
calculates to 27 A.D. as the year of Christ's baptism.

Knowing the year of Christ's baptism to be 483 years after the
decree of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C., the wisemen
needed simply to subtract 30 from 483 to know the Messiah would be born 453
years after the decree. Why 30? A man had to be 30 years of age to
serve in the Sanctuary / Temple (Num 4:3), and Luke says that at His
baptism Jesus became about thirty. Jesus, when He turned 30, was
considered to be old enough to perform the duties of a priest.

Daniel 9:26-27 also tells us that the Messiah would be "cut off"
(crucified) in the "midst of the (70th) week". So 3 1/2 years after His
baptism, which was at the end of 69 weeks / 483 prophetic years, on Tabernacles
of 27 A.D., Jesus would be crucified, precisely on 14 Nisan, Passover of 31 A.D.

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM

"... in
the Old Testament (Daniel 9) the Saviour's advent was more clearly
revealed. The
magi learned with joy that His coming was near, and that the whole
world was to be filled with a knowledge of the glory of the Lord.

The wise men had seen a mysterious light in the heavens upon
that
night when the glory of God flooded the hills of Bethlehem. As the
light
faded, a luminous star appeared, and lingered in the sky. It was not a
fixed star nor a planet, and the phenomenon excited the keenest
interest.
That star was a distant company of shining angels, but of this the wise
men were ignorant. Yet they were impressed that the star was of special
import to them. They consulted priests and philosophers, and searched
the scrolls of the ancient records. The prophecy of Balaam had
declared,
"There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of
Israel." Num. 24:17. Could this strange star have been sent as a
harbinger
of the Promised One? The magi had welcomed the light of
heaven-sent truth; now it was shed upon them in brighter rays. Through
dreams they were instructed to go in search of the newborn Prince." –
The Desire of Ages, by E. G. White, pg. 60.

Conclusion

So, if you have followed the above reasoning, based on the
scriptural evidence, a case can apparently be made that Jesus Christ
was born on the 15th day of the month of Tishri, on the first day of
the Feast of Tabernacles, which corresponds to the September - October
timeframe of our present calendar!

Jewish
month

Begins
the
New moon of

John the
Baptist

Jesus

1. Abib / Nisan

March-April

Birth of
John
15 Nisan

4

2. Zif / Iyyar

April-May

5

3. Sivan

May-June

Conception of John
after 3rd Sabbath

6

4. Tammuz

June-July

1

7

5. Ab / Av

July-August

2

8

6. Elul

August-September

3

9

7. Ethanim / Tishri

September-October

4

Birth of Jesus
15 Tishri

8. Bul / Marheshvan /
Heshvan

October-November

5

9. Chisleu / Chislev /
Kislev

November-December

6

Conception of Jesus
25 Kislev ?

10. Tebeth / Tevet

December-January

7

1

11. Shebat / Shevat

January-February

8

2

12. Adar

February-March

9

3

Tabernacles Future
Fulfillment

It is also interesting to note that Tabernacles was a feast of
ingathering of the Harvest (Exo 23:16 and 34:22). If Jesus' first
coming was indeed on 15 Tishri, the first day of Tabernacles, then it
is quite reasonable to presume that the harvest of this earth, the
ingathering of the second coming of Jesus Christ, will also occur on
precisely the same date. The unknown factor would be the year that this
would happen.